


Missed Connections

by DaltonG



Series: Ficlet Imbroglio [5]
Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: Fandot Creativity, Ficlet, M/M, Pre-Slash, Skipthur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-01
Updated: 2015-08-01
Packaged: 2018-04-12 09:21:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4473878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaltonG/pseuds/DaltonG
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Fandot Creativity Night</p>
<p>Prompt: "Missed Connections"</p>
    </blockquote>





	Missed Connections

**Author's Note:**

> Fandot Creativity Night
> 
> Prompt: "Missed Connections"

Prompt: “Missed Connections”

“Skip, what’s wrong? You look upset.”

“What? Oh, nothing, Arthur. I’m fine.”

“You’re really not.” Arthur sat down in the spare office chair. Well, it was actually  _his_ office chair, he supposed, but he was never sitting down when he was in the portacabin; he was always up getting coffee, or hanging a festive banner, or taking a festive banner down when Mum yelled at him to, or hoovering or singing (singing was  _definitely_  not a sitting activity) or some other thing that meant that he almost never sat in the squeaky chair that didn’t roll very well.

He tried to make the chair roll closer to Martin, but that one pesky wheel stuck and he ended up spinning to face the opposite direction. Finally he stood and lifted it into place at the end of Martin’s desk.

“Tell me what’s got your smile turned upside down.”

“What?”

“You know, how they say a frown is a smile turned upside down? Well you have an upside-down smile right now. And it’s making me want to smile upside-down too.”

Martin gestured vaguely in the air with his mobile.

“I just…I missed a call, is all.”

“Oh, was it from Theresa?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact it was.”

“Things aren’t so good between you two, are they.”

“What–Arthur, how could you possibly have known that?”

“You’ve been sighing a lot more than you usually do; every time your phone rings, you jump, and then when it’s not her calling, you look sad. And you don’t hum any more when you fill out the after-flight reports.”

“Oh. I hadn’t realized.”

Arthur resisted his impulse to take Martin’s non-mobile hand, which was laid slack on the desk, in his own. Even Skip’s hand looked sad. But he couldn’t just touch Martin like he would Mum or the girls or boys he dated; Martin wasn’t very okay with being touched out of the blue.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked instead, softly. “Sometimes it helps to tell someone what’s going on. It stops your head from being all busy. I tell Snoopadoop all about–”  _you_ , Arthur barely missed saying. “– _things_ , and it always makes me feel better.”

Martin sighed. “Well, Arthur, you see, that was my last chance. The last hurrah. No, that doesn’t fit. Anyway. Theresa told me that if I didn’t pick up her call tonight, we’re through.”

“That seems a bit of a small thing to break up with someone over!”

“It’s not, though. Not to her, anyway. She’s tired of ‘coming second’ to my flying. I’ve tried to explain that I have a busy schedule–she doesn’t know about Man with a Van, she just thinks I take all the flights I can–and even though she’s not an ordinary princess, she’s not really used to having to wait, as it were.”

Martin looked at Arthur as though he was expecting Arthur to pile on. That was just silly! Arthur knew that flying was Skip’s passion; anyone who truly loved Skip wouldn’t want to keep him from his passion.

“I’m so sorry, Skip. I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”

Martin stood up abruptly and started pacing. “No, I guess it  _wasn’t_  meant to be. Just as I’m not meant to make a wage as a pilot, or have a reliable van, or live anywhere but in a leaky attic and eat pot noodles every day for years on end. Just not 'meant to be.’”

Arthur was startled. Skip was suddenly angry. It made sense, though; Theresa was being unreasonable.

“Skip…”

“No, don’t try to comfort me, Arthur. It’s no use. This was my first relationship, it was bound to go wrong. Just like everything else.”

Arthur had suspected as much, about Theresa being Skip’s first relationship. Skip needed someone much more understanding. Someone more compatible. Someone who would love him, no matter what.

“Not everything’s gone wrong. That was a brilliant landing tonight.”

A tiny smile appeared on Martin’s face. “It was, wasn’t it?”

“Full dark, gale-force winds, pounding rain…even Douglas said it was a first-class touchdown!”

“I’m getting better at landing in storms.”

“I’ll say!”

Martin looked over at Arthur, and for a moment his eyes went soft.

“You’re always there for me, aren’t you, Arthur.”

“And I always will be, Skip! Anything you need!”

Martin took in a deep breath. “Arthur, I wonder…”

“What is it?”

“Do you suppose I could have…a hug?”

Arthur stood from the chair, which squeaked in protest, and walked slowly to Martin, not wanting to spook him. He gently pulled the shorter man in against his chest and wrapped his arms around him, slowly drawing him closer until Martin’s head was leaning on his shoulder.

“There there, Skip. There there.”

Martin slumped against Arthur. Arthur rubbed his back a little, not wanting to startle his Skip.

Maybe Skip’s next connection wouldn’t be missed, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on [Tumblr](http://daltongraham.tumblr.com/post/124427516989/missed-connections).


End file.
